]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/30/daily-excursion-recharging-an-extrovert/feed/0Daily Excursion: Another Way To Look At Thingshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/24/daily-excursion-another-way-to-look-at-things/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/24/daily-excursion-another-way-to-look-at-things/#commentsWed, 24 Apr 2013 23:52:43 +0000Knight Stivenderhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/?p=693This morning I forgot my umbrella and, thinking I could run between the raindrops, I tripped and fell hip-first into standing water deeper than my heels were high.

While I am never prepared for weather changes – no umbrella, no jacket, inappropriately pre-season wardrobe – I am always prepared to handle my self-wrought disasters.

I changed into a fresh, dry, canary yellow dress hanging on the back of my office door. Today’s blog finds are variations on that lemons into lemonade theme.

1. Make Your Own Luck Find

Danny Nicoletto’s father, an Indiana drummer who often played with the Turtles when the band was in town, had always advised his son to shoot for the stars, even if the stars seemed out of reach. When his father lay dying earlier this month, Danny, 29, fired off a random email to his favorite band.

I’m a guitar tech, he told them. I know you’re about to go on tour, and should you need a technician, I’m available.

Sure enough, the band wrote back. Yes, they said. You’re hired. Danny goes on the road next week.

At the time of this photo, he’s sitting in Flying Saucer on Broadway in downtown Nashville – the guy on the right. His friend on the left is Shane Tutmarc, 31, a musician working to finish up an album. Shane’s approach to days like this – any day, for that matter – is to make sure he’s done at least one creative thing. If he can say he’s done that – write a song, perform an interesting cover, paint something – he can sleep well.

2. Pop of Pink Find

This photo is actually not from today, but rather a day much like it when the gray skies made spring stand out all the more so.

Thank you, Meagan Rhodes, for sending it to me.

3. Homeboy Find

Tim Bryant was reading Bibles in Lifeway Christian Bookstore, and I walked past him twice before I decided something about him said, “Interrupt this guy who obviously has important things on his mind and put him on the spot in your canary yellow dress.”

It turns out, “Excuse me, sir, can you tell me a time when you’ve made lemonade from lemons,” is hardly a challenge for Mr. Bryant, who is from the same hometown as me. (Mt. Juliet, everyone. Pre-Providence. Go Bears! More specifically, Mr. Bryant is from Gladeville. “The Glade”, as he said it and I immediately understood.)

“Oh that’s an easy one,” he said in response to my dumb lemonade question. “I do that every day.”

Mr. Bryant, 50, who is the pastor at Grace Fellowship Ministries in Mt. Juliet, told me about his brother, Quenton, 54, a former athlete for whom doctors predicted had maybe three months to live. More than a year after that dire prognosis, the brothers honor each day as a gift.

“Enjoy each day,” the pastor said. “Enjoy each moment. Enjoy each breath.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/24/daily-excursion-another-way-to-look-at-things/feed/0Daily Excursion: Dining Out For Lifehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/23/daily-excursion-dining-out-for-life/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/23/daily-excursion-dining-out-for-life/#commentsTue, 23 Apr 2013 21:14:05 +0000Knight Stivenderhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/?p=675Today’s blog post is brought to you entirely from the dining room at M. in Cummins Station, where there were so many folks gathered for a special Dining Out For Life lunch that Nashville CARES volunteers Courtenay Rogers and Amanda Saad were forced to take over as restaurant hostesses to help move the crowd along.

For the unfamiliar: Nashville CARES is a nonprofit whose role is to build awareness and provide services for people with HIV / AIDS and their families. Dining Out For Life is the group’s annual fundraiser wherein dozens of local restaurants donate a generous percentage of their profits that day to CARES. Patrons may also make additional pledges during their table service.

As a result of Dining Out For Life, there was no shortage of lovely luncheon invitation today. (Nor breakfast or supper, for that matter!) I chose M. because it was walkable to my office, and after a sandwich of pork belly, fried green tomato and pimento cheese, I needed to walk!

Today’s three finds from M.:

1. Men In Black Find

Rick Ryan and Lee Patterson are with Jive Digital Printing. I was told to be sure and grab a photo of the two of them in their slick company polos.

They were not the only company men in black.

Andrew Maraniss and Keith Miles, both partners with McNeely Pigott & Fox, were waiting for Keith’s wife, Cindy Wall, to make an entrance. I am sad I missed that. Every time I run into Cindy it is a treat, including once at the near-end of a cycling event and she was there at a sag truck with snacks.

2. Party of Two Find

Will Cook of RCG and his friend Corey Izatt with XO Communications were an affable two-top near the bar, though they did make a stop at our table on behalf of event hostesses Courtenay Rogers of Cabedge and Amanda Saad of Andrews PR, another lovely duo:

3. People from (Pretty Much) Williamson County Find

Being a trans-countian myself, I am always happy to see a fellow Franklinite over here in Nashville, and – the more rare find – a Nashvillian out yonder in Franklin. Here is a whole table – or, should I say – nearly a whole table of people who ventured in from the WC (or at least the far south and west reaches of Davidson County) to have lunch downtown:

From left: Courtenay Rogers, Lora Stevenson with Mothers Digital, Damon Rogers with the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, Paul Lindsley with Sullivan Branding, and Emmely Duncan and Renee Rizzo with Hope Clinic for Women.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/23/daily-excursion-dining-out-for-life/feed/0Daily Excursion: Faux pas committed by strangershttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/17/daily-excursion-faux-pas-committed-by-strangers/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/17/daily-excursion-faux-pas-committed-by-strangers/#commentsWed, 17 Apr 2013 22:17:46 +0000Knight Stivenderhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/?p=657I was in an irritated mood when I took today’s excursion to the downtown Farmer’s Market, which I’m sure you’ll never guess from the tone of this post. Here, you all, is a list of common social faux pas committed by people I don’t know but also some people I do know, including myself.

1. Biodegradable in, like, 1,000 Years Find

I have done this myself – dropped something theoretically biodegradable on the ground (or impervious surface, in this case) and thought: It will take care of itself. Sure. It will. In the same way it takes a banana peel 3-5 weeks to decompose, depending on environmental factors, a box of spilled Chiclets will eventually dust-to-dust itself.

In the meantime, someone will come along and take a picture of your mess and put it on the internet and think far less of you as a human being.

2. Learn To Park Find

I get that maybe this person has more experience pulling in than backing in and perhaps did not mean to hog up two whole parking spaces at the Farmers Market during lunch time on a pretty day. I get it, because this is how I parked my own car:

Some of us need extra help.

3. And Some Of Us Want To Be Left ALONE Find

Cafeteria-style seating: If a table is long and there is one person eating alone at one end of it looking around for her companion, and you’re searching for a place to plop down with your sprawling tray and laptop, what’s your favored approach? Do you sit down right next to that person? Or do you skip over a few empty seats and leave the lone diner to herself?

People. There is more or less one right answer to this question, and it holds true for bars and airports as well. At the very least, catch her eye and ask, “Is this seat taken?”

It is April 16, 1998, and John Shellenbach (white dress shirt) and Skip Waters (standing in his truck door) are watching for a possible second round of tornadoes to materialize in the Nashville sky.

We put a whole gallery of images like this on our homepage today – the 15th anniversary of these tornadoes – because so many people still remember where they were and how they felt when photographer Rick Musacchio was shooting this photo. These tornadoes were very dramatic, ripping through downtown skyscrapers and destroying swaths of President Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage estate.

The tornadoes also demolished homes, churches and gathering hubs in East Nashville, which is where I found today’s three shots.

I have shots from today, shot from my iPhone, as well as images from our Tennessean archives, shot by real photojournalists. The contrast is unsettling for reasons far beyond my technical skills.

1. ‘For My Load Is Light’ Find

Tulip Street Methodist Church lost the main wall of its sanctuary that day in 1998. It was one of several churches, including Russell Street Church of Christ and St. Ann’s Episcopal, where parishioners set up a temporary worship area in a small tent near a parking area.

Here is Tulip Street Methodist in 1998, shot by David Rogers:

And here is Tulip Street Methodist today:

2. Thank Goodness This Is Such A Boring Find Find

Eastland Avenue on April 16, 2013 was pretty boring, though I will say there was considerably more traffic than I would have preferred…

…Especially since it prevented me from getting exactly the same middle-of-the-street, looking-up-the-hill toward Riverside Drive view that I believe is seen from this Larry McCormack shot on April 16, 1998:

3. Raise Your Hand If You Remember Joe (or Al) Find

In 1998, Rosepepper Cantina was Joe’s Diner, and owner Joe Goller was sifting through tornado debris when Vice President Al Gore arrived to see the storm damage.

I had lunch at Rosepepper today, in part so I could snap this photo to show what the restaurant looks like 15 years later…

… but also on the off chance I’d bump into someone who remembered Joe, his diner, and the tornado.

Here is Helen Shute-Pettaway. She is a hostess at Rosepepper, the voice of the African Street Fair, and she fits that ticket.

She lived on Shady Lane when the tornado came through, and she was on her way to teach an after-school drama workshop for at-risk girls at Carter-Lawrence Elementary. Her sister warned her to run to the basement instead.

She remembers her nephew, Lamonte Shute, worrying about patients in a nearby nursing home. He ran in their direction even when the freight train noise returned a second time.

The 1998 tornadoes are a collective memory for us, sort of like a Nashvillian scouting badge. Where were you? Do you remember?

Shawn Lesley, known to Music Row employees as the friendliest Contributor salesman in town because he smiles, waves and tells everyone to please have a blessed day, may also be the most creative. Shawn, who grew up in North and East Nashville, sells the homeless newspaper near Musica at the end of 16th Avenue.

He told my walking companion and me that he enjoys dressing up – a turkey on Thanksgiving, a bunny on Easter, etc. – but that the costumes are not a reliable means of increasing his sales. We had several follow-up questions, but didn’t ask them because we were in a hurry to get to …

2. The Best View In Nashville Find

Shot from the rooftop of BMI, what you are seeing here is – in my opinion – the best view of downtown Nashville with the possible exception of what you see coming in from Clarksville Pike on a bicycle. What you’re wearing will likely differ.

As to what you wear inside this next place, no one is going to care. What you order? There really is but one choice…

3. Day Drinking Find

Bobby’s Idle Hour (for the uncultured, it’s the bar with the Big Boy statue in the front yard) serves two kinds of drinks: beer and lite beer. We asked the bar tender, “Cuz”, what happens if someone orders a cocktail. We say we have beer, he said.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/12/daily-excursion-5-oclock-somewhere/feed/0Daily Excursion: Surprises in SoBroLoGuhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/11/daily-excursion-surprises-in-sobrologu/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/11/daily-excursion-surprises-in-sobrologu/#commentsThu, 11 Apr 2013 20:36:32 +0000Knight Stivenderhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/?p=590So first off, I have no idea what to call the area from Cummins Station to Mercy Lounge to 8th Avenue back up to Division and around the lower Gulch area. How about SoBroLoGu?

Anyway, that’s where I walked this morning – roughly 8ish – in search of surprises. I found my daily blog post’s worth (here is some background on what I’m doing with this blog) fairly quickly in this part of town. In fact, it took me longer to narrow them down to three than it did to find them in the first place.

1. Man At Work Find

This guy works for the Metro water department. He and his colleagues were on the job site of this building…

I was walking along 8th and, just past the sort-of-scary (at least to me) underpass, there is this enclave, which is kind of grungy-pretty. And if you look closely on the south-facing side of the building on the right…

you notice this… which I can’t explain but am hoping someone can.

Anyway, this is within stumbling distance of Mercy / Cannery / High Watt, so I will blame a musician. By the way, that entire last sentence is an excuse to promote our music page. Don’t judge.

3. Commitment of the Day Find

Khalil Davis and Zack Maddox are the proprietors of Coffee. Lunch. on 10th Ave. South across from Cummins Station. (I recommend the dark roast, large. I am a simple woman.)

As you can see from their arms, neither are afraid of commitment. But I really needed a detailed shot of Khalil’s neck to show just how much I mean this…

Said the businessman, “I waited until I felt like this place would work out.”

And so we conclude Thursday with a wise man.

Get out of your office, people. Maybe wait for any tornado-like weather to pass over, but enjoy your city and snap a few pics. Send them to me via twitter @knightstivender and I’ll fit them in here.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/11/daily-excursion-surprises-in-sobrologu/feed/1Daily Excursion: Window shopping in downtown Franklinhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/10/daily-excursion-downtown-franklin/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/online/2013/04/10/daily-excursion-downtown-franklin/#commentsWed, 10 Apr 2013 19:26:43 +0000Knight Stivenderhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/online/?p=586I figured today would be busy and possibly dreary with lots of conference calls and a pending rainstorm, so I took today’s excursion first thing this morning – in downtown Franklin, near my home.

It was early – before opening hours for most of the shops (or shoppes, as Cool Springs developers seemed to prefer several years ago, I guess because it looks fancy, which I suppose we think we are?). Anyway, the early hour was a good thing because it limited me to window shoppe-ing, which is cheap.

This is the window of Walton’s Antiques and Estate Jewelry on Main Street. The silver service caught my eye, because few people have silver service anymore. Also unique and interesting: A 2.68-carat diamond art deco ring from Walton’s was featured in an episode of ABC’s “Nashville”. You can read more “Nashville” tidbits on our ever-expanding #ABCNashville page, which will be updated tonight with goodies from the latest episode.

2. Hard At Work Find

The Anthropologie staff is known for their window dressings. Well, at least *I* know them for their window dressings. If you know of other boutiques that should be known for their dressings – window or otherwise – send a note to our fashion columnist, Shopping Diva Cathi Aycock. Cathi, by the way, will be the star of a Girls Night Out event on Thursday, April 18 from 5-9 p.m. at the Hill Center/Green Hills. Hope to see many of you there.

3. Hard To Choose Find

This is from the Franklin Antique Mall on Second Avenue, a building packed with someone’s old favorites. You can vote for your own favorites – including Franklin Antiques – in The Tennessean’s inaugural Pick of Williamson readers choice awards. The awards allow readers to vote in dozens of categories ranging from restaurants and retail to doctors and lawyers to antique stores and historical sites.

Happy strolling, you all. I encourage you to please take a few minutes in your day to get outside and enjoy where we live. Send me a photo that captures your neighborhood and I’ll include it here.

You have great holiday cookie recipes, and we have just the people to sample them.

Introducing our inaugural Tennessean Holiday Cookie Contest.

How it works: Whip up a batch of your favorite cookies and bring at least a dozen of them — plus the recipe, with credit to creator — to one of these locations on Tuesday, Dec. 12 from 3-7 p.m. or on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Why the Boys & Girls Club? Glad you asked! We wondered if they knew any kids who would like to devour all these luscious goodies, and lo and behold the answer was yes. But before we turn the kids loose, an expert panel will judge submissions in these categories:

Family Recipe Cookie

Bar Cookie

Decorated Cookie

Tennessee-Themed Cookie

Participants may enter as many cookies in as many categories as they wish. Each cookie may be entered in only one category.

The Tennessean will announce winners at a cookie judging and holiday party at 3 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Boys & Girls Club’s Andrew Jackson Gym off Charlotte Avenue. Winners and recipes will be featured in The Tennessean. All submitted recipes will be published at Tennessean.com/taste.

Please include the following information with your submission:

Baker’s Name

Name of Cookie

Category

Recipe Source (family, cookbook adaptation, original, etc.)

Address

Email

Contact Number

Questions about this contest? Email me at kstivender@tennessean.com. If the questions are about baking, you might try someone else.